Executive Director, Farmer and Filmmaker

WHAT SHE DOES FOR LOVE: "I really do love growing food for people and sharing my experiences around growing food. But the other things that nourish me are [having] potlucks with my friends and family and [going] on hikes with my two year old daughter to share in her excitement as she sees ants marching on the ground. I love dancing with my husband and I love watching the sunrise."

HER STYLE + BEAUTY: "I love wearing skorts while farming because I feel protected from showing myself off while squatting and weeding, but they also make me feel somewhat feminine and pretty. I also have naturally curly hair that I have grown to love and brings out the lionesses in me."

HER 2015 GOAL: "My goal for 2015 is to laugh more and not take everything so seriously. My daughter is teaching me this."

A LADY SHE ADMIRES: "My mother! She has been through a lot in her life and yet she is the strongest woman I know. Even though we had to move around a lot because we couldn't afford the next month's rent, there was always food on the table, I went to school everyday and she continued to make films on issues around women and children because that was her passion and where she knew she could make a difference. In between jobs in cosmetics and a consignment store, she was working on films about domestic violence and Sacagewa. In a male-dominated industry, she has made some remarkable films that are well-known. I get a lot of my strength and inspiration from her."

Photo: Courtesy Candice Kearns Orlando

NOMINATED BY: Christina Berry

WHY SHE'S A LADY GUN: "I need to nominate my friend and amazing lady, Candice Kearns Orlando. What was originally a college thesis project on turning backyards into food-growing gardens for the neighborhoods around them has become a full-fledged nonprofit called UrbiCulture Community Farms, which now has gardens in Denver schools, engages the youth and even employs high school students to teach younger kids about the importance of growing food. It has large community gardens in lower income neighborhoods that have Pay-What-You-Can Farmstands every week during the growing season and has managed to grow over 16,000 lbs of produce for more than 1,100 Denver residents last year. She is a truly motivated person and has recently become a mother as well. The way she motivates the members and volunteers of the nonprofit is amazing, and watching her raise a beautiful baby girl amongst the dirt and weeds and plants is pretty inspirational."

HER INITIAL REACTION TO HER LADY GUNS NOMINATION: "What!?! Me?!? And then the tears came. So grateful that I have people like Christina in my life that keep me planting seeds. This is amazing and I am so honored to be a part of this group of incredible women!!"

Photo: Courtesy Candice Kearns Orlando

Photo: Courtesy Candice Kearns Orlando

ON BEING AN INTROVERT: "I actually am an introvert at heart. When I wake up in the morning, I really just want to stay in my house, but I know I have to go out and talk to people, make connections, grow food and listen to the needs of those around me. It is challenging, but I do it anyway because I know that the food we grow is making a difference in people’s lives and the stories we capture on film will inspire someone to go out and make a difference."

Photo: Courtesy Candice Kearns Orlando

ON JUST DOING IT: "I never went to school for non-profit management or filmmaking and yet I am doing both and training myself on how to be better at both these things everyday. I know that I have made mistakes, but I have learned from those mistakes and am grateful for the opportunity to grow."

Photo: Jon Orlando

ON DOING WHAT YOU LOVE: "In a world dominated by money and consumerism, we must begin to do what we love and are inspired to do. And because we are women, this will begin creating a different world, in which we care for the earth, animals and human beings."